Ben Roethlisberger ranked in the middle of NFL quarterbacks entering 2021

Ben Roethlisberger is out to prove doubters wrong this year, but here’s why Pro Football Focus has him ranked in the bottom half of the league entering 2021.

Ben Roethlisberger has been one of the most talked-about football players this offseason. Early on, there were rumblings that he could hang up his cleats for good. However, he later made it clear that he was doing everything in his power to return for another season.

He was able to make this happen by taking a pay cut to stay with the Steelers in 2021. After putting in the work this offseason and showing up at each minicamp practice for the first time in years, it seems that Big Ben is doing everything in his power to give his all for what could be the last time.

Recently, the future Hall of Fame quarterback came received criticism after his ‘camp’ stated that his ‘diet is stricter’ than Tom Brady’s, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports. However, this isn’t the only thing Roethlisberger has received attention for.

Pro Football Focus’s Bruce Gradkowski recently released an article ranking all 32 projected starting quarterbacks in 2021. He had Ben Roethlisberger ranked 16th. Here’s what Gradkowski had to say:

"16. BEN ROETHLISBERGER, PITTSBURGH STEELERSBen Roethlisberger proved his toughness by coming back at 38 years old after elbow surgery and helping the Steelers to an 11-0 start. But something just didn’t seem right during that hot streak, and Pittsburgh finished the year 1-5 in its last six games.New offensive coordinator Matt Canada has a tall task in trying to figure out what will make this offense tick. Roethlisberger ranked last out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks on play-action attempts last season. He subsequently led the league in shotgun pass attempts (640) and pass attempts under 10 yards. He did a decent job of getting the ball out of his hand quickly, but it didn’t translate into many explosive plays, as the Steelers ranked 26th in explosive pass-play percentage (11.7%)."

Gradkowski (Roethlisberger’s former teammate) apparently isn’t too high on the Steelers quarterback entering 2021, as he noted that ‘something didn’t seem right during that hot streak’ and added that he didn’t have many explosive plays.

Nobody should be surprised to see Big Ben ranked 16th – especially consider the end he had to his 2020 season, but is this fair?

Ben Roethlisberger is in the middle of the pack

Like it or not, this isn’t the same Big Ben we have been accustomed to seeing for years in Pittsburgh. His mobility to escape the pocket and extend the play is essentially gone at this point and his arm is diminishing. Because of what we have witnessed since the 2018 season, I think it’s fair to assume that Ben is in the middle of the pack when it comes to starting NFL quarterbacks.

Ahead of him on this list include players like Ryan Tannehill, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, and Justin Herbert. I think all should be ranked above Ben at this point. Just below Roethlisbergber are Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Trevor Lawrence.

If Roethlisberger doesn’t end up being in the middle, I think it might be more likely that he slips somewhere in the bottom half of the league, as young quarterbacks continue to improve.

Of course, there’s always a chance that Big Ben has a resurgence with a new offensive coordinator and a mostly new playbook this year. Perhaps being another year removed from elbow surgery could help as well.

Right now, the media isn’t very high on Ben Roethlisberger, and expectations for what he will accomplish in 2021 are low. Obviously, we hope he can overcome his age and extensive injury history to string together a terrific season this year.